Longitudinal monitoring of honey bee colonies along an agricultural intensification gradient in Mississippi

Honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colony declines have been reported extensively nationally and globally over the past decade. Pesticides and poor nutrition are two important factors causing such declines. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the interactive effects of both pesticide exposure and poor nutrition on honey bee colony health across an agricultural intensification gradient in Mississippi. These field sites also vary in their availability of natural forage. Overall colony health, pesticide exposure and forage availability will be evaluated during an entire year from four field sites across the state. Visual inspections, pollen traps and landuse mapping will be used to determine the availability of forage in these areas. In addition, pesticide residue analysis will be conducted on pollen and nectar samples to assess the field realistic exposures to such pesticides. Various colony health parameters will be recorded in addition to collecting data on pests, parasites and pathogens from these colonies. The information gleaned from this study will help us determine if optimal nutrition can counteract the detrimental impacts of pesticides, if any, over long term in a field realistic scenario.